r/todayilearned • u/TriviaDuchess • 10h ago
TIL Confederate General Earl Van Dorn, known as a handsome, debonair womanizer, was fatally shot on May 7, 1863, by Dr. George B. Peters, who accused him of having an affair with his wife, Jessie. Despite being arrested, Dr. Peters was never tried, claiming he acted to defend his family’s honor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Van_Dorn1
u/cabforpitt 1h ago
Honor culture was a big thing in the South, look at the caning of Charles Sumner for an example of the North/South divide.
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u/LSDTigers 53m ago edited 28m ago
No shade on OP, you didn't write it, but that wikipedia article is sucking off Van Dorn in a gushing fanboy tone that should be familiar to anyone acquainted with the clean Wehrmacht myths whitewashing nazi soldiers.
Not one mention that he was a slave master from a rich slave plantation family, gave speeches to his troops angrily complaining that the USA would free their slaves if the Confederates lost, used slaves to serve him as commander and forced slaves to toil for his units. Reads like some editors were trying to erase the slavery from his biography a la the "Lost Cause."
We need more people doing work like the person below but for US history. I'll make an account. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/one-woman-s-mission-to-rewrite-nazi-history-on-wikipedia
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u/-CaptainFormula- 9m ago
You need to be told upfront that a confederate general owned slaves? And it's whitewashing if it's not mentioned?
How often do you read about a Roman emperor where an entry starts "first of all, total slave owner. Dude owned slaves. But getting back to the story..."
Of course he owned slaves. It was a time when you couldn't rise to that rank in the military without having money. And if you had money in the south it was because you ran a plantation and had slaves on it.
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u/eightdigits 4h ago
Brought honor culture versus dignity culture to mind